Modest George Gandranata Takes The Throne At The Indonesian Golf Tour At LotusLakes Golf Club

Karawang, May 9th, 2014 - George Gandranata put on a great game of golf and became the Champion of Indonesian Golf Tour at LotusLakes Golf Club. Not expecting to win, he played confidently and to his best ability, which is what George believes is the key to his success today.

George Gandranata with trophy and winner's cheque after winning the Indonesia Golf Tour at LotusLakes Golf Club. Picture: Fadil/OB Golf

“Golf is a ‘day by day’ game. One day you’re good, another day you play bad. I don’t have expectations for each of the tournaments I have played. All I need to do is make sure that I play well and produce a good score with every opportunity,” Said George.

“I want to thank PGTI and Jimmy Masrin who have created the opportunity for the local professional golfers to play more. I am sure that the more we play, we will be able to score better in the future. Of course thanks to all the sponsors such as Linc Group, and the host venue, LotusLakes Golf Club who prepared the course in superb condition, especially the greens that successfully caused headaches for us professional golfers. All was great and gave us more experience,” added George.

Kevin C. Akbar holds his trophy for Lowest Male Amateur at LotusLakes Golf Club. Picture: Fadil/OB Golf

George wins the tournament with a total score of even-par, 216 (70-73-73). Tailing him was amateur golfer, Kevin C. Akbar, who finished in second place and came in as the Lowest Male Amateur, with a total score of one-over-par, 217.

The tournament was another success for the Indonesian Golf Tour, thanks to Linc Group as the presenting partner, LotusLakes Golf Club as the host venue, PGTI as the sanctioning body and also OB Golf & Lifestyle Magazine as the promoter.

The next series of the Indonesian Golf Tour will be held at Padang Golf Modern, from June 10th – 12th June 2014. Be sure to mark your calendars and watch your favorite local professional golf player in action.

Leading scores after the final round of the Indonesian Golf Tour at LotusLakes Golf Club (A - denotes amateur):

216 - George Gandranata 70-73-73

217 - Kevin C Akbar (A) 74-71-72

218 - Bramantio Adi 77-72-69, Ian Andrew 75-72-71

221 - Rinaldi Adiyandono 78-71-72, Ilyassak 72-74-75

222 - Ari Safari (A) 78-73-71, Andik Mauludin 73-76-73

223 - Benita Y. Kasiadi 76-73-74

224 - Johannes Dermawan 77-75-72, Indra Hermawan 77-74-73, Abhi Sahari 72-77-75

Gandranata Stays On Top At Indonesian Golf Tour At LotusLakes Golf Club

Karawang, May 8th, 2014 - George Gandranata continues to lead the pack on the 2nd round of Indonesian Golf Tour played at LotusLakes Golf Club. Scoring a total of one-under-par (143), George managed to stay on the top of the leaderboard.

“My irons and chipping was not working well today. Thanks to my wedges I can save on my score. But overall my game is okay for today. My strategy for tomorrow will be the same. More fairways, more greens, and to score birdies on the par 5's. It is not an easy course. It’s hard to read the greens but we will see tomorrow”, said Gandranata.

“This is my first time playing at LotusLakes Golf Club. It’s a championship course. Its tricky, but there are several holes where you can attack. I enjoy playing here and really appreciate LotusLakes Golf Club for hosting the Indonesian Golf Tour,” added George.

Second place also continued to be occupied by an amateur player, Kevin C. Akbar, who successfully signed-in a total of one-over-par (145), whilst being chased by Ilyassak who sits in third place with a total of two-over-par (146).

With the cut at 17-over-par, it leaves 50 participants entering into the final round tomorrow. 10 out of 14 male amateurs who participated in the Indonesian Golf Tour have managed to survive the cut.

Leading scores after the second round of the Indonesia Golf Tour at LotusLakes Golf Club (A - denotes amateur):

143 - George Gandranata 70-73

145 - Kevin C Akbar (A) 74-71

146 - Ilyassak 72-74

147 - Ian Andrew 75-72, Maan Nasim 75-72

149 - Bramantio Adi 77-72, Rinaldi Adiyandono 78-71, Andik Mauludin 73-76, , Benny Kasiadi 76-73, Abhi Sahari 72 77

Gandranata Plays With Confidence At Indonesian Golf Tour At LotusLakes Golf Club

Karawang, May 7th, 2014 - George Gandranata, current Order of Merit leader of the Professional Golf Tour of Indonesia, scored a two-under-par on the first day of Indonesian Golf Tour series played at Lotus Lakes Golf Club.

George Gandranata teeing off at hole 10 at LotusLakes Golf Club - Picture: Fadil/OB Golf

George, who was the only Indonesian professional golf player that survived the cut in the recent CIMB Niaga Indonesian Masters felt confident with his game and managed to take the lead at the Rp. 200,000,000 event.

Meanwhile, amateur golfer, Joeh Seik tied second place with Putra Abhinawa Sahari and Ilyassak who signed in an even-par.

The launch of the Indonesian Golf Tour presented by Linc Group is an ambitious new professional golf circuit aimed at speeding the development of Indonesia’s up and coming golfers.

The playing field comprises of 80 Indonesian Golf Professionals, 30 Male Amateurs, 20 Female Amateurs and 14 special invites marking the first time Indonesia has seen such a tour that allows for a playing field offering opportunities to both Amateurs and Golf Professionals at the same time.

A total of thirteen 3-day events are being hosted at selected courses in the greater Jakarta area with each boasting Rp200,000,000 prize purses. All 13 events earn ranking points for the participating golf professionals, setting the stage for the Road to the Indonesian Golf Championship to be hosted at Rawamangun Golf Club from December 10th – 13th this year.

The top 30 golf professionals and top 10 amateurs will play for the grand prize purse of Rp500,000,000 with all golf professionals guaranteed winnings in the 4-day tournament as well as the three top professional securing themselves a country exemption spot on the Asian Development Tour for the 2015 season.

Leading scores after the first round of the Indonesian Golf Tour Series at LotusLakes Golf Club (A - denotes amateur):

70 - George Gandranata

72 - Ilyassak, Abhi Sahari, Joeh Seik (A)

73 - Andik Mauludin

74 - Kevin C Akbar (A), Sarmilih

75 - Ian Andrew, Irmansyah, Jordan Surya Irawan, Denni Hermawan

Constitutional Court Rules Golf A Sport

The Constitutional Court on Wednesday approved a judicial review by the Indonesian Golf Association and several golf companies, stating that entertainment tax levied against the golf industry is unconstitutional.

The Constitutional Court on Wednesday approved a judicial review by the Indonesian Golf Association and several golf companies, stating that entertainment tax levied against the golf industry is unconstitutional.

Golf in Indonesia will now be legally classified as a sport, and subject to a different (and likely lower) realm of taxation.

“The word ‘golf’ in the Law on Regional and Retribution Tax is against the 1945 Constitution, and therefore no longer legally binding,” presiding judge Ahmad Sodiki said, as quoted by Antara.

Under the old law, golf was categorized as entertainment, and subject to similar taxes as karaoke, nightclubs, billiards, bowling, massage parlors and art performances.

The golf association and several companies complained that categorizing golf as entertainment resulted in an unfairly high taxation rate of up to 35 percent, with different regions given the discretion to set the rate at or below that number.

“Tax charges should consider all aspects, including the type of the business or event that could be subject to tax, as well as the justice . . . for tax payers,” judge Akil Mochtar said. He said that the classifying golf as a sport seemed more suitable, given that there were numerous national and international tournaments, and because people played golf for health and recreation purposes.

“Therefore, golf could not be categorized only as entertainment, and cannot be an object of entertainment taxes,” Akil said.

But one of the nine Constitutional Court judges dissented — justice Achmad Sodiki said that golf is indeed entertainment that happens to contain elements of a sport.

“Golf can not be seen as black and white,” Achmad said. “Many people like golf as entertainment for weekend recreation. [Golf] also makes efforts to lift up it’s image and enter certain respected social economic segments. It is also a communication media for friendship and business among elite people.”

Interested companies in the judicial review included Pondok Indah Padang Golf, Sentul Highlands Golf Club, Cengkareng Golf Club, Palm Hill Golf Course, New Kuta Golf and Ocean View, Merapi Golf, Karawang International Golf Course and Damai Indah Golf.

Rory Hie Indonesia PGA Player Of The Year 2011

Jakarta, 26 January 2012 - The Indonesia Professional Golfers' Association / Persatuan Golfers Profesional Indonesia (Indonesia PGA/PGPI) held their annual Appreciation Night at Senayan Driving Range, Jakarta to celebrate the best players of 2011 as well as reward those who supported Indonesia PGA efforts during the 2011 season.

The evening was opened with the announcement and unveiling of a new name and logo, chosen to better reflect the mission and vision of the organization moving forward.

Next up were words of thanks to all who supported professional golf in Indonesia during 2011 and Appreciation Awards where given to key supporters in four categories.

Sponsors

Ancora Sports
Rajawali Sports International
Mercedes-Benz Indonesia
Visi Prima Golf
Toyata Astra Motor
Raharja Sinergi Komunikasi

Golf Courses

Emeralda Golf Club
Karawang International Golf Course
Matoa Nasional Golf Course
Bandung Giri Gahana
Imperial Klub Golf
Royale Jakarta Golf Club
Pondok Indah Padang Golf

Organizations

Badan Olahraga Profesional Indonesia (BOPI)
Sim's Golf Academy

Media

MNC Sports
Golf Digest Indonesia

Left to right: Ade Saepudin, Rory Hie and Indra Hermawan

Highlight of the evening was the announcement of Player of the Year, Most Improved Player and Rookie of the Year for 2011.

Player of the Year 2011	Rory Hie
Rookie of the Year 2011	Ade Saepudin
Most Improved Player 2011	Indra Hermawan

A special note was made here of the fact that Rory's 2011 season was the best ever for an Indonesia PGA professional, including a near-win at the Indonesian Masters, where Lee Westwood eventually took the crown and reclaimed the world no 1 position.

Come on 2012, it promises to get even better.